Alternator Cost

An alternator or alternating current generator is an important part of car's electrical support system. Without it, your car's battery is useless. If your alternator has quit, then there is no option but to replace it as soon as possible or get it repaired. In this Buzzle article, I provide an estimate of average alternator cost that you can expect, if you decide to buy one.

The electrical power required for the functioning of a car is derived from the alternator, which converts a part of the mechanical torque generated by engine into electrical charge that is stored in the car battery. When the alternator blanks out, there is no alternative but to get it replaced. How much does an alternator cost depends on many factors related to its make.

Before you decide on replacing your car's alternator, make sure that your current alternator is beyond repair. For that you must know how to check alternator. Check out the typical bad alternator symptoms to ensure that your old alternator is actually beyond salvage. Sometimes, it is not the alternator but just the alternator belt that needs a change. If that is the case, then replace alternator belt. It is cheaper than replacing the core device. Alternator belt price ranges from $15 to $75 only, and you can easily fix it on your own. However, if it's the alternator itself that has blanked out, then it will cost you more. Go for replacement only after you are sure that there is no way you can repair the old device.

The cost of any car part is directly proportional to the cost of manufacturing plus the manufacturer's profit margin. Car parts retail shops add their share of profit in the price which we ultimately have to pay as the end consumer. Let us see what can we expect the average price of alternator to be.

Alternator Cost Estimate

How much does an alternator cost on an average? The cost is totally dependent on many factors which include the car model, brand, car's electrical output demand, engine requirements, expected amperage output and compatibility with the car battery.

Alternator prices are more if the amperage they provide is more. More powerful amperage requires a higher magnetic field which is used in current generation and it adds to the alternator cost. Alternators fitted in older cars cost less. However, they also require a separate device called the voltage regulator to be purchased. The average alternator cost which provides an amperage of 80 for old car models, is around $80. Hereby old, I mean cars that are really old dating to the 90s era. Cost of alternators which offer greater amperage will certainly be more. If you don't want to buy a new one, for $40 to $60, you may purchase used or refurbished alternators.

Today the alternator prices have more than doubled with foreign manufacturer's coming into the picture. The import duties on parts and foreign manufacturing has raised alternator costs. While alternator cost for cars manufactured in USA is around $180 to $240, foreign manufactured cars have more expensive car parts. The cost of an alternator fitted in cars like Toyota can cost about $260 to $320. Powermaster, Bosch and Motorcraft are some of the best alternator manufacturers.

Then again there are the very high-end cars like BMW and Mercedes, which have even more expensive car parts. If you have one of these high-end cars, be ready to pay up a lot when one of the car parts blanks out. The alternator costs for such high-end cars can be more than $340. The price will also depend on where you buy it from. Overall, you can expect the alternator cost to vary between $200 to $400. Add to it, the labor cost of $80 to $100, which will vary considerably according to location and car model.

Generally buying it from a retail shop which gets direct supply from manufacturers will reduce the cost. Then again if you are good at car repair jobs, then you can replace the device on your own and save on the labor costs of replacement which normally add to car alternator prices.